CFDA#
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Funder Type
Federal Government
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IT Classification
A - Primarily intended to fund technology
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Authority
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)
Summary
Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) provides supplemental funding grants to rural, midsized, and large communities to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart city or community technologies and systems in a variety of communities to improve transportation efficiency and safety.
A SMART grant may be used to carry out a project that demonstrates at least 1 of the following:
- Coordinated Automation -- The use of automated transportation and autonomous vehicles, while working to minimize the impact on the accessibility of any other user group or mode of travel.
- Connected Vehicles -- Vehicles that send and receive information regarding vehicle movements in the network and use vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-everything communications to provide advanced and reliable connectivity.
- Intelligent, Sensor-Based Infrastructure -- The deployment and use of a collective intelligent infrastructure that allows sensors to collect and report real-time data to inform everyday transportation-related operations and performance.
- Systems Integration -- The integration of intelligent transportation systems with other existing systems and other advanced transportation technologies.
- Commerce Delivery and Logistics -- Innovative data and technological solutions supporting efficient goods movement, such as connected vehicle probe data, road weather data, or global positioning data to improve on-time pickup and delivery, improved travel time reliability, reduced fuel consumption and emissions, and reduced labor and vehicle maintenance costs.
- Leveraging Use of Innovative Aviation Technology -- Leveraging the use of innovative aviation technologies, such as unmanned aircraft systems, to support transportation safety and efficiencies, including traffic monitoring and infrastructure inspection.
- Smart Grid -- Development of a programmable and efficient energy transmission and distribution system to support the adoption or expansion of energy capture, electric vehicle deployment, or freight or commercial fleet fuel efficiency.
- Smart Technology Traffic Signals -- Improving the active management and functioning of traffic signals, including through:
- the use of automated traffic signal performance measures;
- implementing strategies, activities, and projects that support active management of traffic signal operations, including through optimization of corridor timing, improved vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle detection at traffic signals, or the use of connected vehicle technologies;
- replacing outdated traffic signals; or (IV) for an eligible entity serving a population of less than 500,000, paying the costs of temporary staffing hours dedicated to updating traffic signal technology.
History of Funding
In FY 2022, $94 million was awarded for 59 projects across 33 states.
In FY 2023, $54 million was awarded for 34 projects across 22 states.
2022 awards can be viewed here: https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2023-03/FY22%20SMART%20Project%20List.pdf
2023 awards can be viewed here: https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-03/FY23%20SMART%20Project%20List_1.pdf
Additional Information
Projects funded by the SMART Grants Program use advanced data, technology, and applications to provide significant benefits to a local area, a State, a region, or the United States. These benefits align to the following categories:
- Safety and reliability: Improve the safety of systems for pedestrians, bicyclists, and the broader traveling public. Improve emergency response.
- Resiliency: Increase the reliability and resiliency of the transportation system, including cybersecurity and resiliency and adaptation to climate change effects
- Equity and access: Connect or expand access for underserved or disadvantaged populations. Improve access to jobs, education, and essential services
- Climate: Reduce congestion and/or air pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions. Improve energy efficiency.
- Partnerships: Contribute to economic competitiveness and incentivize private sector investments or partnerships, including technical and financial commitments on the proposed solution. Demonstrate committed leadership and capacity from the applicant, partners, and community
- Integration: Improve integration of systems and promote connectivity of infrastructure, connected vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and the broader traveling public
DOT will prioritize SMART Grant funding applications that demonstrate the following characteristics:
- Fit, scale, and adoption: Right-size the proposed solution to population density and demographics, the physical attributes of the community and transportation system, and the transportation needs of the community. Confirm technologies are capable of being integrated with existing transportation systems, including transit. Leverage technologies in repeatable ways that can be scaled and adopted by communities
- Data sharing, cybersecurity, and privacy: Promote public and private sharing of data and best practices and the use of open platforms, open data formats, technology-neutral requirements, and interoperability. Promote industry best practices regarding cybersecurity and technology standards. Safeguard individual privacy.
- Workforce development: Promote a skilled and inclusive workforce. Support the creation of good-paying jobs with the free and fair choice to join a union and the incorporation of strong labor standards and training and placement programs, especially registered apprenticeships, in project planning stages.
- Measurement and validation: Allow for the measurement and validation of the cost savings and performance improvements associated with the installation and use of smart city or community technologies and practices.
Eligibility Details
Eligible applicants are: (A) A State; (B) a political subdivision of a State; (C) a Tribal government; (D) a public transit agency or authority; (E) a public toll authority; (F) a metropolitan planning organization; and (G) a group of 2 or more eligible entities described.
Only recipients of Stage 1 Planning and Prototyping Grants will be eligible for Stage 2 Implementation Grants.
Deadline Details
The final Stage 1 deadline was July 12, 2024.
The first Stage 2 deadline is August 14, 2024. Only Stage 1 awardees from FY22 are eligible to apply.
Award Details
$100,000,000 is available each year through FY2026. The SMART Grants Program includes two stages: Stage 1 Planning and Prototyping Grants (Stage 1 grants) and Stage 2 Implementation Grants (Stage 2 grants). Funding amounts vary between Stages 1 and 2.
- Stage 1: applicants may request up to $2,000,000 per project. The anticipated minimum award size is $250,000.
- Stage 2: applicants may request up to $15,000,000 per project.
Between 3 and 5 Stage 2 awards are expected in FY24.
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